There’s a hunger for Battlefield 6: the beta sneaks into Steam’s top 20, beating Call of Duty’s best numbers
Battlefield 6 passes a new milestone even though it is not yet on sale: its multiplayer beta is among the titles with the most concurrent players on Steam.
The Battlefield 6 multiplayer beta continues to cause a sensation among fans of war shooters. Its launch already made this clear, with long queues of up to a quarter of a million players waiting, and now a new record figure has emerged: it has broken into the top 20 games with the most simultaneous players on Steam, and the number amassed surpasses the peak number of Call of Duty players on this platform. Are times of change ahead?
Battlefield 6 beta beats Call of Duty on Steam, and the implication is clear: many gamers longed for a new, realistic FPS
After its launch on August 8 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, the Battlefield 6 multiplayer beta has caused a small earthquake in the current gaming landscape. Many users have not only been very attracted by the renewed proposal for a realistic war FPS from EA and Battlefield Studios, but also, the Steam version has managed to get into the top 20 titles with more simultaneous players in its history.
The peak of concurrent players during the weekend stood at 521,079, which has earned it to reach the 18th position within this privileged Steam list, narrowly beating other prominent titles such as Valheim. However, the most significant success has been the one that has occurred with respect to the unified launcher of Call of Duty, whose peak number of players stood at 491,670. This is particularly commendable, because, in fact, this Call of Duty app is not a single game, but encompasses several of the most recent ones, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023) or Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024), so it actually represents the sum of several communities of players of each individual title.
The reason why the Battlefield 6 beta is getting such a great reception has already been discussed in recent news: many veteran Call of Duty players feel that the franchise has lost its essence as it tries to follow in the wake of Fortnite with garish and flashy skins, collaborations with celebrities, or extravagant weapons. Against this backdrop, Battlefield 6 represents a new promised land: a return to basics, where there is no room for fantasy, but only a marked militaristic aesthetic with a realistic cut.
Only time will tell if this sixth numbered installment manages to return the saga to the place it deserves. Battlefield 3 (2011) was the high point of the franchise, and EA and Battlefield Studios have pulled out all the stops, so Battlefield 6 aspires to no less. For now, the first reactions have been extremely positive, and many fans of the genre are looking forward to the expected release date so they can sink their teeth into it.
Battlefield 6 will be available from October 10, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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